STAGECOACH passengers will get a boost from a brand new, smarter travel card following the launch of an innovative smartcard ticketing scheme in the region.

The scheme which is now live on over 265 Stagecoach buses across Hampshire allows bus passengers to store their travel on an electric card called StagecoachSmart, instead of using paper tickets.

It also offers customers the chance to pay for their travel through hassle-free automatic payments after registering on line.

Andrew Dyer, managing director of Stagecoach South said: “We know we have a responsibility to our customers to continue introducing new technology and new ideas to improve their travel experience.

“We believe the launch of StagecoachSmart will encourage even more people to try our greener, smarter bus services and the scheme will rocket in popularity. As more passengers who use the smart card we will see less boarding time at bus stops as the journey is prepaid.”

The launch of StagecoachSmart in the South also offers passengers the chance to sign up to the company’s new Megarider Xtra ticket which allows monthly payments to be debited from the customer’s bank account on an agreed date each month, meaning they no longer have to renew their ticket manually.